Authors:

K.-C. Liang(TCSUH and Department of Physics, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA)

W. Zhang(TCSUH and Department of Chemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA)

B. Lorenz(TCSUH and Department of Physics, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA)

Y.Y. Sun(TCSUH and Department of Physics, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA)

P.S. Halasyamani(TCSUH and Department of Chemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA)

C.W. Chu(TCSUH and Department of Physics, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA)

We study the internal and external magnetoelectric (ME) effect of the
single-crystalline LiFeP$_{2}$O$_{7}$ by magnetic,
thermodynamic, and magnetoelectric measurements. The Fe$^{3+}$
spins form a canted antiferromagnetic (AFM) order below
$T_{N}$ $\sim$ 27K with weak ferromagnetic components along the
$b$-axis. A sharp peak found in the pyroelectric current at 27K indicates the
strong internal ME interaction resulting in a sizeable polarization
decrease. With external magnetic field applied, the ME polarization shows a
combination of a linear and a quadratic field dependence below $T_{N}$, but
it only shows the quadratic ME response above then. A large uniaxial
magnetoelastic response in the thermal expansion data indicates strong
spin-lattice coupling. A qualitative explanation regarding to the ME
interaction between electric polarization and magnetic order parameters will
be proposed and discussed.

To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2013.MAR.F21.2